IRISH RENTS. 23 



Irish farmer of fair means would have farmed them, 

 — the land, as it was, put in grass without any 

 special efforts to improve it, and then stocked. They 

 have made a still larger profit after the first year or 

 two — very seldom under 40 s. per acre. This has 

 arisen from less outlay in working them, but, of 

 course, they are not improving like the large farm. 



The accounts have been kept simply as a matter 

 of business for my own guidance, and everything I 

 know of charged against each year, sometimes even 

 in excess, lest I should be deceiving myself ; because, 

 strange as it may seem after the talk that often 

 goes on about Irish landlords, most of them are 

 quite aware that land cannot pay more in their 

 own hands or a tenant's than it can be made to 

 produce — that you cannot have more from a cat 

 than its skin. 



I have tried once or twice to let farms, with 

 proper house, buildings, etc., and in good condition, 

 at a fair proportion below the rent I was making. 

 It was still a good deal above the former rent. So 

 no good tenant with means and character would 

 give me the rent, and I go on farming them myself. 

 My object was, having proved I could do the thing 

 myself, to show a working tenant doing it also 

 nearly as well. But in this, so far, I have not suc- 

 ceeded. The land is a rather light turnip loam, 

 useful, but very far from higli quality land, with a 

 very damp climate that makes oats the only corn 



